TOP jockey James McDonald was made to work for a Deep Impact-sired double carrying the Arrowfield Stud colours at Newcastle Racecourse on Tuesday.
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McDonald was one of the stars on show at the meeting and he got the job done on bluebood favourites Reaching and Bucharest in a race-to-race double.
The Kim Waugh-trained Reaching, a daughter of Alinghi, broke through at her sixth start in the 1500-metre maiden handicap as the $2.30 favourite.
McDonald settled Reaching worse than midfield on the fence before asking for a sustained run from the home turn. Under vigorous riding in the last 100m, Reaching wore down Canadian Spice to win by a neck.
McDonald and fellow Sydney premiership champion Chris Waller combined in the next, a class 1 handicap (1400m), with Bucharest.
A son of five-time group 1 winner Miss Finland, Bucharest broke his maiden at Newcastle on August 13 and returned a $1.70 favourite on Tuesday.
McDonald gave Bucharest an ideal sit behind leader Highmaster and took an inside run approaching the 200m mark. However, it wasn't until the last 50m that the colt took control under the urging of McDonald to win by half a length.
It was part of a double for Waller, who prepared Centimental for victory in the fillies and mares maiden plate (1300m).
Sam Clipperton rode the $2.25 favourite to an easy win. McDonald was to ride Covent Garden, a half-sister to Winx, in the race but she was scratched.
Newcastle apprentice Louise Day was the only local winner on the day, taking the John and Gary Moore-trained Morethannumberone to a front-running victory in the 1300m maiden plate for the males.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Jockey Club will welcome a maximum of 1115 people to each of its September 18-19 spring carnival meetings because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The club had budgeted mid-year for no spectators at the marquee meetings because of COVID-19 but the easing of restrictions has allowed a capped crowd.
NJC boss Matt Benson said the club had calculated, using the four-square metre rule, a new capacity for Newcastle Racecourse.
Benson said function venues were all but booked out, taking up more than 700 spaces, but area was still available for spectators on lawns and in the betting ring.
The Newcastle Cup program on Friday, September 18, also features the group 3 Cameron Handicap and Tibbie Stakes.
"We've had close to 3500 on a Cup day since I've been here, and the Saturday has been the same," Benson said.
"We're at about 35 per cent capacity of what we'd normally be so we can still go OK with those numbers.
"You have to price it according to the fact you have got less people but there are some savings around the ancillary services that you need because there are less people.
"Anything that has people on the track from here to Christmas is a bonus to what we budgeted for."
